Let me get real with you right now: summer is not my favorite. I grew up in Arizona so you would think I love the heat, but I'm just an autumn girl through and through. And the humidity... I just can't. My hair increases to approximately 6.3 times it's normal volume (which is already a lot) and it's miserable and I hate sweating and just NO THANK YOU.

But. Bailey asked us to share our summer favorites, so I will dig deep and find beauty even in the worst season of the year. It will take a lot, so please appreciate this.

(Okay, just kidding, it's not ALL awful. There are some really great things about summer.)

Here are my favorite things about summer:

Sweet (vegan!) treats on hot days. Our company bought out the Gelati Celesti truck for an afternoon and this lemon sorbet on a 95 degree day was just the best.

Vacations to new places. Three friends and I went to Grand Cayman for 5 days, and it was a dream. A sunburned, toasty, sunscreen-scented dream. Oh, and I kissed stingrays so I have 7 years of good luck!

Planting and growing all the things. Ever since I was a kid, my mom has been showing and encouraging us to get our hands dirty and grow vegetables and plants of all kinds. I'm still learning the ways of the green thumb, but I'm making progress and loving it.

Outdoor concerts! I went with two friends to see John Mark McMillan, Mat Kearney, and Needtobreathe, and it was one of the very best nights of this summer!

Sunflower picking. A local brewery hosted an all-you-can-pick sunflower weekend (for free!) and it was amazing. The pollen these big blooms left all over my house was not amazing.

SHARK WEEK. Hands down the most exciting week of the summer on television. And the Olympics were on this summer... but Shark Week still wins. I'm obsessed. If you don't know this by now, then I don't think you know me at all.

Fresh watermelon and the Watermelon Festival! I'm all about in-season produce, and when there's a whole festival in my city to celebrate it, it's just a blast. Even on the hottest day EVER.